Spring-hinge.



G. H. DAY.

SPRING HINGE. APPLICATION FILED AUG 10v 1909.

91 1,949. Patented Feb. 9, 1909.

INVENTUH GEORGL' H. [M V ATTORNE Y8 WITNESSES 7 make these channels by punching UNITED STATES PAQFENT OFFICE.-

GEORGE H. DAY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MhSSACllUSl-JTTS, ASbIGNOR TO AMERICAN ZlPTIOAL (30., OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SPRING-HINGE Specification of Letters Patent.

Polli' e nted .eb. 9, 1909.

Application filed August 10, 1908. Serial No. 447,674.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ll. DAY, a citizen of the United b'tates, and a resident of Southbridgc, in the county of \l'orcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvemtnt in Spring-Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of spring hinges in which them unbers are constrained, through the action of a suitable spring arrangement, to assume one or the other of two opposite limiting positions according to the relative initial position of the members, andlias for its object the production of such a hinge which shall be at once simple, ef

fective, inexpensive to construct, and reliable in operation.

My invention consists in certain novel fratures of construction and arrangement of parts as are more particularly set forth in the following description and claims and in the drawings accompanying.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved hinge in a partially open position.

ig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a modification of the hinge shown in Fig. 1.

A and B are the two hinge members joined by the pivot, or pintle, a, a piece of spring wire I), having substantially straight ends 1:, and any desired area and shape of cross-section, round, square, or otherwise, and of any suitable spring material, has its ends. slid into channels (I, which are fixed to the memher A, parallel with the pivot a; where the hinge members are not too thick I prefer to l ups c c, from the body of the member and then fol-ining the channel (2 onlhe ends of such flaps,

These channels do not grip the ends tightly but so as to have an easy sliding lit.

In B is provided an eye f; this may be formed separately and attached to It in any suitable manner such as by riveting or soldering, but I prefer to proceed as I do for the channels (I, (l, viz., punch out a fin p or tongue 1 from the body of the member in which flap I may drill the eye.

It is a link of suitably seetione Wire which I use to join the eye f to a central part of the spring wire I), the coils of Ii. being turned over into suitable hooks so as to engage the eye and spring respectively without risk of slipping off.

In usemy hinge is commonly set so that The link. 11, may be bent in an outward curve, I, to clcarthe hinge knuckle. j when llumclnbcr l takes the position in. It must also be chosen of such length that when 13 is in the limiting position ii" that portion of the spring I; lying between the channels 1/ will be deflected somewhat from the axial line of its ends 1-. (3, thus exerting a force tending to diminish still further the angle between and B (now 13").

The action of the 'hingc is as follows: Suppose the door or box lid to which it is attached to be closed when the hinge mem bers have the position A, ll", of Fig. 2. Spring I) through the link innd eve f, tends to keep the hinge ir this position since the spring is drawn aside at il.; center from its normally straight position. As the hinge is opened (in the direction of the arrow, Fig. l this central part is deflccled'more and more from the llXlill line of its ends and therefore resist; such opening with a corrcsponding increasing force. This resistance increases until l1 has been rotated to a position where the point of connection of lilik la and flap 1/ (approximately the eye f) reaches lhc plane pas ing through the juncture l: of

II. with I: and the axis of the pinllc a. This position constitutes a dear center for the member ll. in which it will tend imithcr to resume its former position nor to continue its onward movcnu-nt with relation to It, now. i is rotated still further on the pinile a so that the eye f p sses through the plane. above referred to, of la and the pintle a, spring I" will again exert its rotary force but with its line of action on the other side of pintle (1, thus tending to place l'lin the limiting position B. And if, now, we reverse the operation and close the door to which the hinge is attached, i. e., carry B from the position B to that of B (counter to the arrow of Fig. 1) we shall find this operation resisted by spring 1) until the eye f shall again a, after whic the spring will aid the closure.

ranch the plane of I: and pintle By roperl locatin the axis of c, c, the pint e a, an the eye we may fix this plane of the dead center approximately in the lane of A, a. e., so that the door, when it is o ened, will alwa s tend to close itself unti 90 is exceede open itself fully. The ends a, 0, of b slide in the channels 11, d, so as to include a' greater or less length of 6 between said channels according as b is deflected to a eater or less extent. The resiliency of 7; 1s not only that due to its bending at the center, but also that due to its bending at those ends, which face each other, of each channel (I.

In the modification of my hinge shown in Fig. 3, I have cut away the central part of the knuckle j and pivot a, as also some from the inner edge of each hinge member, being thereby enabled to make the link It without the outwardly curved central portion z of Fig. 1.

Should a spring tension greater than can when it will tend to be obtained without undue increase in the section of b be desired, I may employ suitable stretched spiral spring m oined to either or both-ends 0 of the wire I) and out wardl connected to a in or eye '22. The tension ue to the stretc of the s rings will tlfiep be added to that due to t e bending o Instead of havin both ends 0, a, slide, I may accom lish a the purposes of my in vention by aving one end fixedly secured to A and the remaining member only, slide.

The angular position of the plane of dead center the tension of the spring, and-the difference between the maximum and minimulna spring tension depend upon the relative value of a number of factors, all of which may be fixed as desired, viz., the distance between the axis of c, 0, and that of a; the distance between f and the axis of a, the distance between the axis a, c, and A; the distance between f and B: the length of link h, the length between channels d, (l, the age and material of I), etc. etc.

By suitably etermin'ing these various factors, also, I may advantageously use limiting angles between-the two members A and B, on the one side'or the other, quite different from the 90 previously referred to as conr monly used. The an les actually chosen will, of course, depen upon the particular application which'is to be made of the hinge.

may, of course, very many of the details of construction in my improved hinge as e. g., the mode of attachment of the link It to the member B, of the endsof spring 6 to the member A, the form and mode of attachment of spring m, etc., without departing from the spirit of my invention.

My improved hinge is applicable to any of the situations for which ordinary hinges are commonly enployed, but will be found peculiarly adapte for use on cupboards and ookcase doors, the small doors of brie-abrac and filing cabinets, and for small boxes such as are used b jewelers and opticians,

Having thus escribed my invention I therefore claim:

1. In a hinge having two members united by a )ivot, a substantially strai ht sprin placct parallel to the pivot an attache near its ends to one of said members, said spring being linearly slidable at least as to one of said ends; and the other member enaging in the middle of said spring b a hook or link which extends toward but d oes not1 reach the axial line of the sliding spring cm s.

2. In a hinge having two members united by a pivot, a spring substantially straight at its ends placed arallel to the pivot and slidable in parallel cnd guides, said guides .being secured to one of said hinge members;

near its ends to one of said members said spring being linearly slidable at least'as to one of said ends; a spring connecting said slidable end to said hinge member and adapted to exert a linear ull upon the first named spring; and the ot er hin e memberrst named engaging in the middle of said sprin by a hook or link which extends toward but does not reach the axial line of the sliding spring ends.

l. In a hinge having two members united by'a pivot, a spring substantially straight as to its ends placed arallel to -the"pivot and slidable in paral el end guides said guides being secured to one of said hinge members; sprin connecting'said ends to said hinge mem er and adapted to exert a linear pull upon the first named spring; and the other hinge memberengagmg 1n the middle of said first named spring by a hook or link which extends toward but does not renich the axial line of the sliding spring ems. i i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

. GEORGE H. Dar;

Witnesses:

(J. FRED. HILL, J. C. Wanna. 

